What’s Changed about Gallo?

It might have something to do with Chandler being out. However, I still would like to see Gallo be more aggressive. He defers tooo much! What will happen when he plays with a star player? He is more than capable of putting on a regular display brilliance the way he did in the 3rd Qt. vs Denver. I want to see Gallo to develop a killer instinct late in games instead of passing it off to Al.

What’s changed is that unlike Duhon, Douglas actually passes the ball to Gallo.

Al’s been on the bench basically all year, so that doesnt make a difference and with House hurt there are more shots to go around.

Of course, since most of his best games are at home, let see what he does on this road trip.

I have noticed him driving to the hoop more rather than settling for the 3 pointer.

i think it is a function of Gallo stepping up his game now that he is the only real scoring threat who can crate his own shot other than Black Hole Buckets.

Good to see him evolve.. Hopefully it has less to do with garbage time games and more to do with his developing the killer instinct.

If he starts to defer to Buckets then sit Buckets… Why is Buckets even playing at this point of the season? this whole thing about making sure the vets can get paid next year is so bizarre and anti team.

Yea he is soft spoken so he doesnt ask for the rock much when the team is full strength, but recently he has been aggressive and asking for the rock, hopefully for the rest of the year and next year he isnt so passive, he can be a special player and his development is huge for us to attract free agents, the word around the league is that players like him and his potential. Even though we as fans complain about players, players can see potential and lil things in another players that we always cant, if melo has been watching from a far and are impressed you think others players around the nba arent impressed?

Agreed Caine. I thought about that as well. Wilson’s absence has helped because there are just more shots for him. I think he also benefitted from Lee being out that one game. It forced him into a bigger role and he stepped up to the challenge. He needed that, IMO. These things, and the fact that he now has a PG that looks for him. Duhon was so focused on David Lee nobody else got a chance. Douglas looks for Gallo. Even though the superstars tend to be ball dominant, a guy like Lebron moves the ball, and would know that using Gallo helps his team win, unlike Al Buckets.

[...] TheKnicksBlog.com – What's Changed about Gallo? [...]

Hey Fellas, I think it was more the David Lee game. In the past he started each play in the corners and tried to find a place on the floor. In that game he was starting at the top of the key (David’s spot), and either the offense flowed through him, or he was able to get in the flow of what everyone else was doing better. Douglas definitely helps, since their game compliment each other well. I don’t believe it’s Chandler’s absents, since he is a slasher and no more likely to get in Gallo’s way in that position than he is Lee. Maybe I’m imagining it, but it seems like Gallo has bulked up a good bit in his upper body since the beginning of the season. May be his ability to take the contact has led to more drives and post-up moves. Just a thought.

There seem to be many factors involved in his recent play. Definitely having a pg in Douglas that consistently looks for him is a huge deal, compared to ‘I only have eyes for Lee” Duhon. His evolution has been really fun to watch, particularly in how when he drives to the basket he now seems to look for contact rather than trying to avoid it. Lastly, Chucketts has taken on less of a role, and with role players like Giddens and Walker who don’t take much shots there are just more to go around for Gallo. He just needs to never defer to Chucketts ever again, and he will be fine.

“the fact that he now has a PG that looks for him. Duhon was so focused on David Lee nobody else got a chance. Douglas looks for Gallo.”

You are right on point. Could not have said it any better.

“Even though the superstars tend to be ball dominant, a guy like Lebron moves the ball, and would know that using Gallo helps his team win, unlike Al Buckets.”

Very true. LeBron would def maximize Gallo’s potential. LeBron makes everyone better. Another player IMO who would be great for Gallo is CP3.

Fair points.

I think there are a bunch of reasons why Gallo has played so well for the last five games. Here are some of them:

1) I think Gallo hit a wall earlier in the season. Last year he didn’t play much so he didn’t hit that “rookie wall.” I think he finally fought past it.

2) I think Douglas starting at point has really helped him. Duhon always looked for Lee and Harrington. Gallo seems to be Douglas’s go to guy.

3) With inexperienced guys like Douglas, Walker, and Giddens playing major minutes, Gallo has been forced to be much more aggressive on offense.

4) Earlier in the season, it was Chandler than was aggressive on offense. With Chandler out, Gallo has had to takeover his role on offense.

5) The Knicks are not playing in competitive games. Since there isn’t any pressure, Gallo is playing loose.

sorry if someone already said this but i think the main reason gallo has improved is that wilson chandler isnt there takin all of his shots and not only that i think he now feels that he at times is the best player on the court for the knicks so a new found confidence has def helped and this is the player that i think all of us expected to see…we also cant forget he was injured almost all of last season so this is almost like his rookie season this year so to me hes actually doing really well and still looks very promising …hes learning how to get to the free throw line and he def hasnt been shy about talkin a little trash and all of this has contributed to his success…i hope when chandler comes back he doesnt give up his new found aggressiveness …..

I agree, ESPECIALLY about Tony Douglas looking for Gallo. I noticed this a couple games back. When Tony is on the court, Gallo is often his first option. I don’t know if it’s because coach has told him to get the ball to Gallo more or because he is a rookie and doesn’t ignore him like duhon, a vet, did.

Either way this is just another example of how Tony Douglas has changed the way the Knicks play ball. and i love it.

“the word around the league is that players like him and his potential”

Really, do you have a link? Or are you an insider? I want more details about this, it could be important this summer.

“if melo has been watching from a far”

If he has been he must truly be a Knick fan because it has been brutal to watch this team this year and they haven’t been on national TV much so difficult as well.

Gallo is very humble and that is why he respects the vets on the team. I think he is right on schedule as far as developement goes and i posted that a few weeks ago when he was struggling with his shot. I still think Lopez is a harder player to find in this league but I always liked Gallo. He play better when he gets mad. We should have someone slap him a couple of times before each game. I think he plays well when he is the main focus on offense. But dont get it twisted i see him as a role player. He may be as good asTpny Kukoc and Hedo turkoglu. It took Hedo several years to develope. We just need to be patient.

Agreed.

Whats has changed is that the Knicks once again have nothing to play for. You dont need confidence now. Let me see it when the games matter again. He is still very young so any progress no matter what type of games its in is progress I guess but this is still wait and see. The biggest factor has always been chandler and Gallo ability to stay agressive. They cant play on the court together simply because they like the same spots on the court and chandler is a ball hog. If I had to choose one I think Gallo is younger and has more upside than Chandler. They should appease Gallo and trade Chandler with Curry’s contract and get value while they still can.

And for Toney D as well.
Gallo playing with more confidence, he’s expanded his skill set with a wider variety of shots + taking the ball to the hoop. Wilson’s absence and TD running the point, plus the kid using all these games to take more control and look more for the ball to me seems what has improved his game.
Whar worries me is what’s gonna is that if a top guy gets here, Gallo’s improvement will either be slowed or stopped.
As long as he doesn’t have to wait in the wing and the ball runs more through him, he’ll be fine.

I like Gallo, I like Ill Will he sometimes makes me angry because of his passive demeanor but I also like how he can score. He needs to work on his handle but sad to say we may have to trade him to get a first round draft pick .

In the off season I want Gallo to work on getting stronger, maybe do like some players like Kobe, Thabeet and hire Hakeem to help him work on his post moves and watch more of the Larry BIrd DVD Donnie W gave him

So what’s wrong with the kid using the garbage time to expand his game? I think he’s got the personality and confidence to do it in the regular season. The thing is, a couple of games before Wilson injured himself and Gallo assumed more minutes, the team lost all possibilities to get the playoffs. All these things are coincidences, because before that, Duhon ran the point most of the season and he’d play only with Lee and Chucketts. It sort of all came together, too bad it had to be when it didn’t matter.
He’s trying a variety of shots that he’s trying to integrate to his game, he still knows when to pass and when to go for it himself. He’s a good passer and should look to improve that in the future, as well. He’s coming along just fine.

“The Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, another European big man with a versatile game, recently said that Gallinari was ahead of where he was at the same stage. ” (H.Beck, NY Times)

The only thing holding Gallinari back is him. He is the leader of the team, he and they just don’t know it yet. When and if LBJ comes, Gallo will be a fine second fiddle and TD will be a fine 3rd. Ny needs a few more vets and a few guys willing to do the dirty work and they will be fine. A defensive, shot blocking and rebounding C would be the cherry on top.

I have said from the beginning that Gallinari will be very good one day. He is now starting to show it.

I just think he needs to bulk up and hit the gym to gain some speed and improve his lateral quickness to help his defense. He needs to work out with a special trainer to help develop his body. I’m sure DW would indulge him that much.
He needs to work on his post moves, handle and understand how necessary it is to beat your man off the dribble.
He’s coming along fine, and knowing that he’s a hard worker, disciplined guy tells me that if he’s already putting extra time to work on his game, this wil apply as well on the offseason.
His body’s resistance throughout the season is something I know surprised a lot of people who were saying that the guy’s back issues were a problem and what not. I wasn’t particularly worried with that. I understand how back problems go (of course not as serious as Gallo’s problems), I’m sure the kid still has soreness at the end of games, but it’ll be something that will remain until he works on his strength so his back takes less strain when he plays.

Chandler is a ball hog? That’s news to me. Even if he does take more shots than Gallanari he deserves to. He shoots at a 47% clip to Gallinaris’ 42%. Just because the kid had 3 good games in a row doesn’t mean all of a sudden he’s the man and everyone else has to step aside. I like the kid but i’m not going to go overboard on praising him. He still needs to improve his game; especially in the rebounding department.

Anthony added: “It was just friendly. Believe me it was just friendly. I WAS JUST COMPETING. I LIKE HIM. I LIKE HIM A LOT. I LIKE HIM AS A PLAYER AND AS A PERSON. He’s a nice person.”

He’s gotten a lot better from when he first came in,” said Anthony, who spoke to Gallinari briefly after the game. “A LOT OF PEOPLE TURNED THEIR HEADS ON HIM BUT HE’S TURNED IT ON BIG TIME.”

In November, when the Cavs made their one and only visit to the Garden this season, a LeBron James confidant pointed at Gallinari and said “LEBRON WANTS TO SEE HOW THIS KID DOES THIS YEAR.” After the game, LEBRON APPROACHED GALLINARI TO OFFER ENCOURAGMENT (…)”

“I just thought he was a guy that just shoots the ball,” Tracy McGrady said. “That’s it. He’ll stay outside and shoot. BUT HE CAN PLAY.”

I couldn’t find Kobe Bryant’s quote but I NBA stars know/like his potential.

I don’t think Chandler’s a ball-hog. Gallo and Chandler can play together but they need to be more aggressive when they do it.

I don’t think Will’s a ball hog at all. If anything, they should give him the ball so he can slash to hoop either for the easy dunk or to dish out for an open 3. He’s earned it with the progression in his game. If he keeps polishing things like his handle, 3 pointer, and ball IQ, he’d be able to play with no problem the 2.
I still don’t understand why people think Chandler and Gallo can’t play together. It’s all about their position in the court, and how D’antoni plays them together.

Not only is Toney Douglas more court savvy that people game him credit for, I think he is also more business savvy. By focusing on Gallo as his first option, he is developing a rapport with the only person he is guaranteed to be playing with next year. Knowing the system and knowing Gallo will give him an advantage over every other guard that comes to challenge him next year. And getting Gallo’s confidence up increases his chances of being a winning point guard next year. Hopefully they can continue to grow together.

I think that at this point it seems a bit too early to make any comparisons, despite what players around the league say. I’m glad that, when asked, guys like Dirk know how’s Gallo’s comiing along, but I think it’d be fair to give him more time to develop the rest of his game as well. If his post game doesn’t turn out to be what everyone wants it to be, then it’d be difficult to compare him to Dirk, and so on and so on. I would wait till next season and see where Gallo is to then make a fair comparison.

Yeah TD feeding Gallo and Gallo playing better does help his case next season as a starter. I think he will be the starter unless the knicks pull off a trade with NO. Im fine with him as the starter as long as thier is another playmaker on the team. A team a guy like LBJ only needs a pg that can hit open shots and defend. I always said Gallo was going to be good . He just needs a summer to work on his game. Lopez would have been the logical choice but Gallo will have a better payoff in a few years or maybe next year. Like Lee Lopez with all his stats doesn’t affect the outcome of the game. Gallo on the other hand when he is rolling the team usually wins . Most knick wins are when Gallo had a good game. Lopez always plays his best with a team with suppoed more talent than the knicks yet look at how many wins it got him. I don’t see him getting any better.

Dirk has heaped praise on Gallo as well.

“Chucketts has taken on less of a role, and with role players like Giddens and Walker who don’t take much shots there are just more to go around for Gallo. He just needs to never defer to Chucketts ever again, and he will be fine.”

—This is exactly why Gallinari is doing better. The less bad shots that Harrington takes the better the younger players will be. I can’t wait to see Harrington off this team. He’s a selfish player that disrupts ball movement.

Yea, I barely read the papers anymore. Sounds good.

I think Gallo’s recent success has to do with him driving to the hoop more and getting to the line. Confidence seemed to have a lot to do with he woes last month, specifically behind the arc. It’s hard to regain confidence in your 3ball if you’re relying too much on that part of the game.

The biggest improvement I’ve seen is drawing fouls.

I depend solely on the “Knicks point guard of information”.

I thought the Galinari mancrushes would have had this thread up to at least 100 by now. What’s the deal?

No shots.

The games don’t matter much now period.

However, as many of us have stated since the beginning of the year, Gallo should be further along than he is now if he had a better coach. Gallo should be well rested since he spent much of his time waiting on the wings for a ball that was not coming.

All you have to do is look no further than to how Eddie House and N8 have done since they swapped teams.

N8 has improve his defense in Boston and when he starts chucking up shots tooo soon, he gets sent to the bench. N8 was doing just that the last game and he went to the bench for chucking a few 3s without using the clock or making passes. That’s accountability. However, make no mistake N8 stays more closer to his man than he did in the past on defense.

Eddie house has gone AWOL here in NY. This dude was chucking up shots faster than RalpheAL and his defense has gotten worse since coming here.

Gallo at 6′ 10″ has always had a mismatch on him due to his size but he has been reluctant to be selfish or force his offense. A good coach would have used this guy’s strength from the start and Gallo’s confidence would be in the skies!

If we trade this guy, he will come back and haunt us for years to come. all he need is a good coach.

Gallo is a matchup nightmare … he’s too tall for most for 3′s to defend … and too quick for 4′s to defend .. on the other end he needs a bit more weight to defend elite 4′s in the post .. yet he is GREAT at keeping his man with the ball in front of him .. which is why he doesnt get torched by getting beat off the dribble often .. but u can see with Melo .. he was giving him a little too much room to get a shot off…..
and if you want to write to off Gallo’s play due to the fact that the games “dont matter” now … what should we say about Lopez ???

I’m not comparing. just sharing…

Games don’t matter now for the Knicks, but for a lot of the teams they are playing… like Denver… every game count’s. The pressure to win is not there like it would be if the Knicks were playoff bound, but every shot hit, every rebound pulled down, every pass made or stolen, etc., is made on an NBA court against NBA competition. Did TD get a pass for his points from Billups? No, he earned them. Did Gallo freeze up against Carmello? No he went head to head. Folks shouldn’t be so quick to discount the play of young guys playing for their futures. Just like there have been players who showed promise in garbage season that they never replicated, there have also been players who got on the court late in the season and never sat down until the end of their careers. All the players have some basic skill, its the level of hunger that you grade them on. Even when Mardy showed some skill, he never showed hunger to compete and get better, so he only lasted as long as the next wave of players with equal skills and more hunger came along. Our young guys are hungry. The truth will come out with their practice regimens in June and July. I believe they will be working on getting better and not just staying in the league.

Excellent post.

Yep but Denver is slacking off a bit since Adrian Dantley took over on this road trip. That’s what happens sometime when the substitute comes on board. But Yes, Denver surely needs these games and they lost to us and Boston in the last two games.

Great post dwayne,

I simply think gallo begins to show his potential. I think he was so angry to never get the ball that he was forced to change his attitude in a lot more selfish way. And it was the only thing to do.
All the best is coming.
He is only 22, 8/8/88. remember

the argument to say that it’s easier to win when nothing is on the line does not refer to the opponents making it easy for us, but that our players play without an added pressure to perform. Hence, they often perform better..

I like your post, but I still think that these games are hardly a measure for future performance. We do know that Gallo and TD have talent and they are showing it now without anybody as much as even expecting a win from the knicks. That doesn’t mean that they are mentally tough enough to do it when it counts. In fact they really haven’t been delivering through stretches when we were in the running.

Trust me I do want both these kids to succeed. I really like them. But these game dont say much..

If we can Flip Wilson Chandler for a mid round pick like Hassan Whiteside we’d be good with Two Max Contracts like Joe and Bosh.

TD
Joe
Gallo
Bosh
Whiteside

with Giddens, Walker and Sergio off the bench!! Thats a 4th seed in the East.

I think not having Karl there is hurting them, but not having K-Mart on defense has been even more detrimental.

21 as a matter of fact.

http://www.nba.com/knicks/video/2010/03/23/dantonipg32310-1268931/index.html

“Challenge for him will be, he needs to click in everynight and that’s no matter who’s in front of him (…) if he wants to go that next level the game’s gotta be the challenge”

I think Mike D’Antoni hit the nail on the head, Danilo Gallinari needs to be aggressive EVERYNIGHT – especially on the road. But he has such a bright future.

You guys are pathetic.

Man, it’s a thread about the “Golden Boy” the “Rooster” the “Italian Stallion” the Great WhiteHope” and there isn’t even 50 (47 after this one) posts yet?! You guys have had all day!!

LOL just kiddin’.

Great pt! So True!

Your 3rd post in this thread – LOL when did you join the Kool-aid brigade HaS?

Need a real PG. Thats all.

LOL

What Kool-Aid Brigade?

I haven’t given up on Gallinari, I like the kid.

lol. We just need to put up a thread about some failure of Dantoni’s…that would have over 100 in less than an hour.

Fair enough. Gallo is going to be better than Dirk…GO!!! LOL

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Now that’ll get ‘em started.

If Danilo Gallinari is the next Dirk Nowitzki wouldn’t signing LeBron James stunt his growth as a player?

I think getting a first or second tier point guard would be the top priority if Dirk is Danilo’s ceiling.

Gallo needs to develop his dribble moves, When he goes to the bucket it is always off the pumpfake. Gallo will be better than DiRK! (IN TIME)

HAS!!! Lebron James can’t stunt anyones growth. Maybe Gallo’s numbers would suffer but it would never STUNT his growth

Honestly, if Gallo can make it through a season dealing with Al Harrington relatively unscathed, Lebron is minor-league compared to Harrington’s ball dominance and inability to pass. Haha.

If Danilo deferred to Harrington what do you think would happen if he was on the court with LeBron?

I just don’t see LeBron handing the ball to Danilo and getting out of the way lol. Or Gallinari at this point in his career asking for the ball from someone like James, he was deferring to Harrington all year.

James would make the game easier for him and get him open shots and such, but would he develop his overall game? Creating for himself and teammates? He wouldn’t need to with LBJ here.

It’s just a question.

Gallo’s overall game needs to be developed in practice. Thats how greats are made. I hear you though

I sure would like to find out.

you make a point, Has
but gallo is young, we can’t expect his full potential before 4 or 5 years. look at kobe, he seems improving year after year.look at durant and how much is stronger then only last year.
I would say i see gallo in a much regular team: a pg, a center etc.. with a playbook à la popovich.That’s would be the best for him imo.
the only thing i don’t want it is bosh at msg. This guy thinks he’s a star, a max player, a franchise player….and he’s softer than lee, believe me, i watch almost every game of toronto, the team is a shame for raptors fans. i confess, bargnani is even worse than bosh on defense.
I think he is the prototype of euro soft player. I’m hard on him because i don’t like see anybody wasting his talent.

Haha you said you expected the kool-aid drinkers to write more than 50 posts. But you posted more than anybody else in this thread!

Lol don’t worry I know you like the kid.

Good Points!

GREAT question.

IF James signs with the Knicks it will be interesting to see if Gallinari will have enough room to develop his overall game. Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to 55 wins (correct me if I’m wrong) after Michael Jordan’s retirement – granted he was a veteran already but I think it is possible. Gallo will have to be more aggressive and more consistent if he wants to develop his game WITH LeBron though.

(That was for Dwayne’s Post)

Chris Bosh is clearly a top 5 power forward in the NBA – but he has no charisma and no leadership skills whatsoever. I’m really not a CB4 fan. He still plays harder than anyone else on the Raptor team tho. Bargnani has been very disappointing – with Gallinari’s pride he’d be one of the promising players in the NBA.

It sounds like you think Bosh is actually worse than Lee defensively.

I don’t mean to sound blunt, but if LeBron James comes here who cares how gallo develops…

This syracuse butler game is awesome btw…Why can’t Gus Johnson do Knick games again?

thats true, thats almost scary to think about.
But there would be 2 major differences.

1. Lebron is obviously a great passer as everyone knows, who can create wide open looks for Gallo. The only looks Harrington creates for anyone are skeptical “Did he really just take that shot” looks from his teammates.

2. Hopefully, Gallo will get more aggressive as he gets older. Its tough for rookies who aren’t team leaders to assert themselves, especially with ballhogs like Harrington who just care about their stats.

Chandler is WHAT?

A BALL HOG?

WILSON Chanlder? From the New York Knicks?

You mean our second most CONSISTANT scorer besides David Lee? Shooting 48%.

THAT Wilson Chandler?

Will EARNS every shot he takes on the court.

RELAX

Is anybody watching the Kentucky game? Dick Enberg is embarrassing himself. He keeps on confusing John Wall with Darius Miller (and vice versa). He has also continually referred to John Calipari as “John Calamari”. The guy still has a great voice after all these years, but he is struggling badly tonight.

Test

Did anyone watch the KSU, Xavier game?

If you did, you can’t say its a given that you should foul up 3 at the end of a game. Its really a risky call (as you saw from the game). Everyone jumps on MD for refusing to make the foul move. It is by no means an easy call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZHYkodrac8

I guess the legendary… the untouchable, Phil Jackson is a bad coach!

Jeff Green and Kevin Durant just made some incredible shots down the stretch against the Knicks in my opinion. Now the Knicks should’ve fouled Roy last season in my opinion – and Wilson Chandler/David Lee were supposed to foul against the Celtics but just didn’t execute. But when you’re up by 3 it is not an easy call.

Makes you wonder what certain people here think about when their typing. Anybody knows your not supposed to foul when your up 3. Why stop the clock and allow them to score?

EFF LEBRON!

I wouldn’t say you should never foul in that situation, but as Mucha pointed out, it is not clear cut either way.

It depends how much time is left, who catches the ball, where they catch the ball and who is doing the fouling.

this is all i gotta say
if AL an T-CRAK wasn’t playing
gallo an doug would be learning faster

HaS you’re a funny guy.

+1

Definitely.

I’m thinking that at this point they must be trying to showcase Al for a sign and trade so their boy can keep earning a big payday. And as far as McGrady, they have to keep kissing up to him in case he actually does get back some of his game. Sitting him now will kill on the good will of signing him. Douglas definitely, and Gallo probably, will be in summer league anyway, so Walsh and D’Antoni are gonna play a little politics and make up the exposure for the young boys later.